HomeGrown
Project Overview
HomeGrown is a concept app that provides a solution for connecting consumers directly to their local farmers, cutting chain grocery stores. Doing this instills more trust between the buyer and merchant, gives the consumer more control over their product consumption and helps support their local agriculture and small businesses.
As for the farmers, it provides a platform for them to access marketing, direct sales, and create a bond with their consumers.
Background
After researching, I found the major popularity of farmers’ markets and a preference for farmers’ markets to chain grocery shopping within the market. Upon this finding, the question arose why farmers don’t do direct sales to their consumers. Most farmers actually do direct sales to their market, however, do not have access to marketing or a transferable way of opening up to the public. For this reason, I saw a need for a platform that allows small-scale farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers, rather than going through traditional distribution channels. By doing so, we hope to encourage more people to support local agriculture, reduce food waste, and make create more trust for shopping which is a necessity across America.
Research
To ensure that the HomeGrown app meets the needs of both farmers and consumers, I conducted extensive research on their behaviors, needs, and expectations. Our research showed that farmers needed an easy-to-use platform that allows them to manage their inventory, track orders, and receive payments directly. Meanwhile, consumers were looking for fresh, high-quality, locally grown produce, a platform that is easy to navigate, and a way to build trust with the farmers they buy from.
The research was performed through surveys, user interviews, and secondary research.
THE SURVEY
Problem Statement
Consumers desire fresher and healthier produce while supporting local agriculture, and farmers seek fair compensation and a direct relationship with customers. However, the lack of an effective and user-friendly platform poses a barrier to achieving these goals.
How might we create a user-friendly and efficient platform that is required to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers, enabling easy access to fresh and healthy produce while supporting local agriculture?
User Persona
Based on research, I created a persona for both farmers and consumers. Our farmer persona was named Anna, a small-scale farmer who grows a variety of vegetables and fruit. Anna needed a platform that is easy to use and manage, can handle online transactions, and allows her to build relationships with her customers.
Our consumer persona was named Taylor, a busy professional who is passionate about supporting local agriculture but doesn't have the time to go to farmers' markets. Taylor needed a platform that allows her to easily order fresh produce online, is user-friendly, and builds trust with the farmers she buys from.